When the Devil Holds the Candle - (Inspector Sejer Mysteries) by Karin Fossum (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

When two teenagers steal a purse from a stroller, it results in an infant's death. Unaware of the enormity of their crime, Zipp and Andreas are intent on committing another. They follow an elderly woman home, and Andreas enters her house with his switchblade. In the dark, Zipp waits for his friend to come out.

Inspector Konrad Sejer and his colleague Jacob Skarre see no connection between the infant's death and the reported disappearance of a local delinquent. And so while the confusion outside mounts, the heart-stopping truth unfolds inside the old woman's home.

Unflappable as ever, Sejer digs below the surface of small- town tranquility in an effort to understand how and why violence destroys everyday lives.

From the Back Cover

Either somebody just slid an ice cube down your back or you re reading the opening pages of "When the Devil Holds the Candle." "O, The Oprah Magazine "
So chillingly told . . . that we can only marvel at the author s skill. Marilyn Stasio, "The New York Times Book Review"
A purse is snatched, with tragic consequences, and a local delinquent disappears. Unaware of the connection between these developments, Inspector Sejer, unflappable as ever, and his colleague Jacob Skarre begin to dig below the tranquil surface of a small town s life, in the third installment of Karin Fossum s acclaimed mystery series.

PRAISE FOR INSPECTOR SEJER
Inspector Sejer is a great addition to the detectives league. "The Dallas Morning News"
Sejer belongs alongside the likes of Adam Dalgliesh and Inspector Morse a gifted detective and troubled man, whom I am grateful to have met and look forward to knowing better. "The Boston Globe"
There s no mistaking this . . . soulful detective for one of those brainy European sleuths who make a parlor game of homicide. "The New York Times Book Review"
KARIN FOSSUM s novels featuring Inspector Sejer have been translated into sixteen languages. She lives in a small town in southeastern Norway. "

Review Quotes

PRAISE FOR HE WHO FEARS THE WOLF
"A superb writer of psychological suspense . . . In spare, incisive prose, [Fossum] turns a conventional police procedural into a sensitive examination of troubled minds and a disturbing look at the way society views them."--THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

PRAISE FOR DON'T LOOK BACK
"A stunning U.S. debut from a European standout . . . Rarely in a modern novel are the characters so vividly rendered . . . The plotting is flawless."--THE PLAIN DEALER (Cleveland)